Simply pathletic

ROYSTON TOWN 0 TRING ATHLETIC 4 (A Humphries 2, D Whicker, L McNamara) THE Crows' season is going rapidly downhill after another heavy defeat. Since drawing at home with league leaders Oxford City in mid-March, Mark Saggers' team have suffered four straight losses - conceding 16 goals in the process. Although this defeat dropped the Crows into the bottom five, relegation is still only a remote possibility. However, defeats at fellow strugglers Haringey Borough, on Saturday, and Harpenden the following week could leave them looking nervously over their shoulders. Although Tring arrived at Garden Walk on Saturday lying only 10th in the 20-team league, they looked a class above the beleaguered Crows throughout the game, and there was never any real doubt about the result from the 16th minute when David Whicker headed the visitors in front. Andy Humphries and Ben Williams both went close for Athletic during the early stages before they grabbed the lead. Whicker sent Stuart Stedman away down the left, although the visiting player looked at least a yard offside. When the cross was sent to the far post, Whicker was there to head the ball past the stranded Barry White. Williams again went close for Tring before Royston finally had a shot on goal in the 25th minute, Paul Lamont forcing a good save from Tom Vincent. Mark Williams also forced Vincent to push the ball around a post and Lee Rogers fired over, but that was as good as it got from Royston. Jason Nash limped out of the action nine minutes before the break, with Ryan Cannon replacing him. The ineffective Jez McMurrough headed a Lamont cross wide two minutes after the break, in what proved to be one of only two attempts on goal that Royston managed in the second half. Peter Chappell joined Nash in referee Bal Koura's notebook after being forced to foul Rob Duncan as he outpaced the home defence, and a minute before the hour mark the visitors doubled their lead. David Foskett's routine clearance turned into a defence-splitting pass for Andy Humphreys to collect and slip the ball through the keeper's legs to make the score 2-0. Four minutes later, the game was put beyond the Crows' reach when Liam Meenan found Humphreys free on the right, and despite being surrounded by defenders he somehow managed to get past them and tuck the ball under White. For the second successive game the Crows' opponents finished the game with an outfield player in goal when Vincent had to go off with a strained ankle in the dying minutes, to be replaced by Terry Phillips. But it was Tring who wrapped up the scoring in added time when Liam McNamara headed home Stedman's corner to complete another miserable day for Royston. Royston Town: B White, P Lamont, M Williams, S Snowden, P Chappell, C Geldart (R Dove), L Rogers, J Nash (R Cannon), D Jeffries, P Flack (C Wellstead), J McMurrough.